SENSITIZATION WORKSHOP ON GENDER
The Human Resource Unit of the Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly (KKMA) on 5th December, 2023 organised a sensitization workshop on gender. The workshop which brought together heads of Department/Unit of KKMA was aimed at raising awareness on gender related issues.
In a power point presentation, the resource person, Mr James Mensah explained to participants that although both men and women are victims of discrimination, there are more women victims than men. He noted that women are discriminated in several ways in terms of recruitment, salary, training and workplace policies. He disclosed that previous researches undertaken revealed that women are incapable of holding leadership positions and are weak and inferior to men.
Mr James Mensah appealed to organisations especially managements of KKMA to be gender-sensitive by ensuring that activities with gender norms, roles and inequalities are considered and awareness raised on them. He said organisations must realise the differences between men and women in terms of how they react, their needs and emotions and promote changes to support equality. This way, productivity and growth of the organisation will increase.
Speaking on strategies to adopt to ensure gender responsiveness, Mr James Mensah appealed to organisations to promote gender-based workplace policies/practices, gender diversity, dealing with unconscious bias and equality in recruitment.
He called on participants to avoid discrimination by accommodating all individuals and giving them the dignity and respect, they deserve. He called management of KKMA to demonstrate leadership commitment by creating the enabling environment to achieve gender equality.
CREDIT: INFORMATION SERVICES DEPARTMENT, KKMA
DONATION OF ITEMS TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITY BY DESO, UK.
On Monday, 13th November 2023, DESO Walk of Hope Ghana donated PWD items to Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly, Social Welfare Department.
Disabled Equipment Sent Overseas (DESO) is a registered Charity organisation in Ghana. The organisation is committed to helping persons with disabilities (PWDs) to get special equipment they need in order to aid them to have greater opportunities to live, work and enjoy their lives. DESO has been operating in Ghana for the past fifty-eight (58) years.
The founder of DESO, Madam Mavis Hyde explained during a donation programme at the forecourt of Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Assembly (KKMA) that an estimated 3% of number of Ghana’s population of over 30 million people (that is nearly 1 million people) are having serious physical challenges. She added that most people with physical challenges in Ghana live in financially impoverished communities and face extensively additional challenges ranging from inadequate accommodation to limited access to clean water. The situation propelled her and other generous supporters to mobilise wheelchairs, crutches, walking sticks, blind canes, hearing aids and other to PWDs in Ghana.
Madam Hyde and her entourage donated assistive devices, thirty-seven (37) walking sticks, twenty-three (23) elbow crutches and one (1) wheel chair to the Social Welfare Department of Kpone Katamanso Municipal Assembly for onward distribution to PWDs across the Municipality.
Accepting the items, on behalf of the Assembly a Principal Social Development Assistant in the person of Mr Thomas Andoh was full of praises for the kind gesture demonstrated by DESO. He noted that the items donated will help Persons With Disability in the Municipality. He also promised that the items will be given to PWDs who needs it most.
REPORT ON THE SENSITIZATION OF WOMEN GROUP ON CHILD PROTECTION 5-10-2023
INTRODUCTION
As part of Community Development programme contained in its Annual Action Plan 2023, a sensitization and talk was carried out to broaden the understanding of participants what child protection entails. It is therefore with this notion that, the Community Development Unit of the Department of Social Welfare and Community Development had organized and oriented women in the Kpone Zonal Council on Child Protection.
The need to protect children is an issue for all communities. Children across the world are subjected to exploitation and abuse, and experience sexual, physical and psychological trauma and violation. Child protection therefore, seeks to protect, and campaign, against all forms of discrimination, prevents and responds to abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation. Child protection ensures immediate access to appropriate services, and provides durable solutions in the child’s interest.
SOME DEMONSTRATIONS USING CHILD PROTECTION TOOLKITS
BALLOON GAME
This activity demonstrates how children are exposed to social vices within our communities and the need for parents and guardians to endeavor to protect them from harm. The balloon was used because it is very fragile and light weight, and shows how vulnerable children are, while the pins represent the vices children are exposed to and as such easily blown and carried away by the weather conditions. Objects like needles and pins do easily burst the balloons at the closet contact. It therefore, suffices to say how vulnerable children are exposed to peer pressure and other social vices that influence them adversely.
FLASHCARDS
There were also flashcards on sexual abuse, exposure of a child to alcohol and drugs, teenage pregnancy, dialogue between adolescents and adults, and children engaged in drugs. These flashcards were used by the team to demonstrate how children are negatively impacted. The women were oriented to provide their wards the chance to talk about any concerns that may bother them; participants were again urged to always engage their children in conversation. This would stop children from talking about important issues with their friends, who might not have any useful ideas but might instead lead them astray.
CONTRIBUTION FROM PARTICIPANTS
Participants discussed issues like lesbianism, gays, drug abuse, and teenage pregnancy. The unit head emphasized the need for community and assembly collaboration to tackle these challenges.
CONCLUSION
The issue of child protection is both a necessity and a top priority for children across the globe. Helping children break the cycle of poverty involves much more than providing basic necessities such as access to health services and educational resources. Efforts therefore must entail working towards the holistic well-being of every child and youth in our care.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UNIT
USE FUND JUDICIOUS TO PROMOTE SKILL DEVELOPMENT; MCE URGES PWDS – 15-09-2023
Dr Samuel Okoe Amanquah, Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), has charge Persons with Disability (PwDs) to channel their share of the Assembly′s Common Fund into initiatives that would promote self-reliance,skill,and economic independence.
Dr. Amanquah said PwDs needed to utilize resources judiciously with utmost integrity as well as harness the power of innovation and entrepreneurship to create sustainable livelihood and foster inclusive growth.
He said this during the disbursement of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) to the people living with disabilities, explaining the fund is used the champion the rights and dignity of PWDs.
He said this reaffirmed the Assembly’s commitment to creating an environment where every individual, regardless of their physical and cognitive abilities, would contribute meaningfully to society.
“The aim of the DACF of persons with disabilities is to minimize the prevalence of poverty among people living with disabilities, especially those outside the formal sector of employment, and enhance their social image through dignified labour,” he stated.
The MCE added that the beneficiaries could rely on the fund for various purposes, such as the procurement of devices, technical aids, income-generating activities, and the boost of educational opportunities, to enhance the capabilities of individuals with disabilities and the organizations they serve.
Meanwhile, a total of 22 PwD beneficiaries, comprising 13 males and nine females, received support in the form of double-door freezers, fridges, commercial sewing machines, and water storage tanks, among others.
Ms. Edna Parku, Head of Social Welfare and Community Development, said the disbursement of the items was to help bridge the gap of stigmatization among people living with disabilities in the various communities, stressing that previous beneficiaries were making very good use of the resources and therefore urged the 22 beneficiaries to use theirs wisely.
“When you make good use of the resources, we’ll also be pleased to know that what we have given you is yielding a good results.
REPORT IN PICTURES
GLOWA ADVOCATES FOR STIFF PUNISHMENT AGAINST GENDER BASED VIOLENCE – 15-2-23
The Global Action for Women Empowerment (GLOWA), a Non-Governmental Organisation, has called for severe punishment for perpetrators of Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Mr Oscar Aklika Klenam, GLOWA Project Lead, made the remarks at a stakeholders’ engagement in Kpone-Katamanso to end the three-year advocacy campaign on Gender Based Violence (GBV) dubbed ‘Enough Project’ spearheaded by GLOWA.
Mr. Klenam, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Kpone, stated that it was time crimes against children and women were dealt with drastically stressing that perpetrators of such inhumane acts should be made to face the full rigours of the law.
He explained that children, especially girls and women, were the subject to many forms of abuse in various homes, adding that such incidences violated the fundamental human rights of such individuals.
GLOWA, over the three-year period, has engaged various law enforcement agencies to help in the fight against Sexual and Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the country.
Mrs. Edna Parku, Kpone-Katamanso Social Welfare Director, also expressed gratitude to GLOWA for the immense support and relentless advocacy on Sexual and Gender Based Violence.
Mrs. Parku advised parents, children, and anyone who had suffered or was still suffering from any form of abuse to report to the appropriate agencies for action to be taken.
She noted that Ghana needed to pay critical attention to crimes against children and vulnerable women, adding that the GLOWA project had helped the Social Welfare Unit to sensitise the citizens on the need to be responsible and report abuse and violence cases to the appropriate authorities.
Vulnerable hotline: 0561572289
The Core mandates of the department are as follows;
- Assist the Assembly in the formulation and implementation of social welfare and community development policies within the framework of national policy.
- Facilitate community–based rehabilitation of persons with disabilities.
- Assist and facilitate the provision of community care services which include;
- Registration of persons with disabilities
- Assistance to the aged
- Hospital Welfare Services
- Assistance to Child Survival and Development
- Emotional and Socio-economic stability in families
FUNCTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE SOCIAL WELFARE UNIT
- CHILD RIGHTS PROMOTION AND PROTETION
- Child and family welfare support
(CASE MANAGEMENT)
- Maintenance cases
- General welfare
- Child custody cases
- Monitoring and licensing of residential home for children
- Monitoring and registration of Early Childhood Development Centres
- JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION
- Care order
- Representation of the Juvenile and Family Court
- COMMUNITY CARE
- Disability fund
- Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP)
FUNCTIONS SPECIFIC TO THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT UNIT
- Support extension services and mobilization
- Disseminates information through study groups and mass meetings
- Provide community education and mobilization
- Offer employable and sustainable skills training skills for unemployed women and the youth
- Assist communities to undertake self-help community initiated development projects
- Conduct mass education campaigns
- Train rural or vulnerable women in entrepreneur and home management skills